Pieces of Hate Read Online Free PDF Page A

began to rise with a rattling hum, and Lynda told her when to stop.
    “How about a little knee action down there?” Lynda asked, nodding toward the lower end of the bed. “Otherwise, I’m gonna slide down to the foot of the bed like a paraplegic.”
    Margaret hit another button and the bottom half of the bed curled upward beneath Lynda’s knees. “Is that okay?” she asked cautiously.
    “Perfect. Just perfect.”
    For a moment, Margaret wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself. She clamped the remote back on the edge of the mattress, and removed the magazine from the chair, tossed it to the floor and planted herself in the chair, screeching its legs over the floor as she turned it to face the bed so she could look at Lynda.
    “You okay?” Margaret asked, frowning.
    “Come on, will you? Stop looking so serious. We both know I’m not okay, but I’m . . . okay. Okay?”
    They both laughed, but Lynda’s sounded like a small rodent caught in a wet, clogged drain.
    “Actually, come to think of it,” Lynda said, “I feel pretty good, all things considered. I’m usually nauseated. I mean all the time. I guess that nap did more good than most. I’m always dozing off like that. I’m really sorry. I mean, for falling asleep.”
    “Hey, don’t worry about it.”
    “Yeah, but we haven’t had a chance to really talk yet, have we?”
    “Well, maybe not. But if you need to sleep, that’s more important.”
    “If it means not being able to talk with you . . . well, then it is important.” Lynda’s smile withered. “I think you know as well as I do that I don’t have that much time. And we have a lot to discuss, don’t we? I mean . . . well, I guess what I’m saying is that . . . aside from falling asleep every twenty minutes . . . I have a lot to apologize for.”
    Margaret took in a deep breath as she averted her eyes, then emptied her lungs slowly. She was trying to decide what to say, how to respond. Something in her gut tightened, telling her that hell, yes, Lynda did have a lot of apologizing to do, and Margaret should just sit back and let her do it!
    But when she looked at Lynda, Margaret felt differently. She took Lynda’s hand again and held it between both of hers as she leaned toward the bed. Very quietly, she said, “What do you say we just let bygones be bygones, and . . . and all those other things people say in situations like this. We’re sisters, and in spite of all the time we’ve been apart, we’ve always been sisters. Always will be. All I’m concerned about right now is that we try our best to make up for lost time. I guess . . .” Margaret frowned a moment. “I guess if anyone should be apologizing, it should be me. I mean, if I’d listened to myself, I never would have made this trip.” She chuckled. “I doubt you’re likely to meet anyone who can hold a grudge as long as I can, Lynda.”
    Lynda’s hand tightened its grip on Margaret’s. In fact, that grip was surprisingly strong. “I’m sorry,” she said. “For everything. Really. You’ve had every right to hold a grudge. I’m just glad you came. I guess we’ve both changed over the years. For the better.”
    “Well . . . all that stuff was a long time ago. Let’s drop it, okay? For now, let’s concentrate on making you feel better.”
    Lynda smiled weakly. “I don’t think that’s going to happen, Margaret. But I know I’m happy to spend what time I’ve got left with you . . .”
     
    6
     
    By the time she got into her car in the hospital parking lot it was dark and Margaret was exhausted. Her muscles ached as if she’d just put herself through an extended workout, and there was a dull ache behind her eyes. And yet, she carried with her a strange and comforting sense of satisfaction and relief.
    Her mood, in fact, was better than it had been upon arriving. In spite of her aches, she felt quite relaxed. She found an oldies station on the radio that was playing something by Herman’s Hermits and smiled